It is common to give a remote administrator access to a computer system, so that the remote administrator can aid the local user by performing tasks and services such as set-up, configuration and trouble shooting. Typically, a remote administrator logs-in to the local computer over a network, and has administrator level access to the user's computer while logged-in. Commercial software exists today that supports this type of remote administration.
One problem with remote administration is that the remote party has system level privileges on the local computer, and can thus access all of the user's folders and files. However, local users may not want the administrator to be able to view or access certain content. Currently, to keep select files private, the user would have to pre-provision these files into some type of locked storage, and ensure that the remote administrator is not provided with access. While this is technically possible, it is a largely manual process which is very error prone. Additionally, this type of solution can cause performance issues, and in any case is beyond the technical ability of many users.
It would be desirable to be able to robustly protect the privacy of select user content during remote administration sessions.